Yttrium-doped hematite photoanodes for solar water splitting: Photoelectrochemical and electronic properties
Abstract We investigate yttrium-doped hematite thin-film photoelectrochemical properties and find yttrium incorporation to amply improve the performance as a photoanode for water splitting under visible light. We used the spray pyrolysis method to prepare a set of yttrium doped Fe2-xYxO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.2) thin films (thickness below 500 nm) on glass and transparent conductive oxide coated glass slides. Using a substitutional homovalent (Y3+) dopant, the effect on functionality is rationalised as a combined effect on the electronic structure and small polaron mobility from the lattice structure, impurity levels, lattice stability and variance in hybridisation. The photoelectroch…
Study of the structural phase transformation of iron oxide nanoparticles from an Fe2+ ion source by precipitation under various synthesis parameters and temperatures
Abstract Magnetite nanoparticles were precipitated from a pure aqueous ferrous salt solution in an air atmosphere. The influence of the solution molarity, the rate of precipitator agent addition, stirring time and annealing temperature was studied. The morphology, crystalline phase purity and magnetic properties of the obtained powders were studied by X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The synthesis conditions were seen to have an effect on phase composition. It was possible to obtain near stoichiometric Fe…
Photocatalytic activity of anatase-nickel ferrite heterostructures
The simple co-precipitation route was used to couple commercial TiO2 anatase nanopowder with nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4). The morphology and the crystalline structure of composite nanoparticles were characterised by TEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD and Rietveld refinement, XPS and XAS. The optical and magnetic properties were investigated. After co-precipitation NiFe2O4 nanoparticles, composed of spinel ferrite crystal phase, were formed on the surface of TiO2 anatase nanopowder. The TiO2/NiFe2O4 composite oxide demonstrated large specific surface area, high visible light absorption efficiency and efficient charge carrier separation, compared to pristine anatase TiO2 or pristine NiFe2O4, rep…
Magnetic and optical properties in degenerated transition metal and Ga co-substituted ZnO nanocrystals
Abstract In order to study the influence of itinerant electrons on magnetic properties of transition metal substituted ZnO nanocrystals, nanopowders containing different amounts of Ga and fixed amounts of Fe, Ni and Mn ions were synthesized. The ions of different transition metals and Ga were successfully introduced into the ZnO structure using solvothermal synthesis method. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Rietveld refinement were used to characterize the synthesized nanocrystals. Optical measurements revealed that Ga substitution can change the light transmittance/absorption in the infrared part of the electromagnetic light spectru…
Effect of antisite defects on the magnetic properties of ZnFe2 O4
Magnetic zinc ferrite (ZnFe2O4) nanopowders were synthesized using the sol–gel autocombustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements demonstrated that thermal decomposition of the 1-mm-thick xerogel layers in air formed monophasic spinel ferrite nanopowders with a particle size less than 30 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the obtained reaction product contained antisite defects, with zinc ions occurring at the octahedral sites of the spinel structure. The concentration of antisite defects or inversion degree decreased when the relatively low annealing temperature was increased from 150 to 500 °C. Overall, the obtained ZnFe2…
Antiviral efficacy of cerium oxide nanoparticles.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the Estonian Research Council Grants (COVSG2, PRG629, PRG1496), Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011) and University of Tartu Development Fund (PLTFYARENG53). The research was partly conducted using the NAMUR+ core facility funded by projects “Center of nanomaterials technologies and research” (2014-2020.4.01.16-0123) and TT13.
Facile synthesis of magnetically separable CoFe2O4/Ag2O/Ag2CO3 nanoheterostructures with high photocatalytic performance under visible light and enhanced stability against photodegradation
Riga Technical University supported the preparation of this manuscript from the Scientific Research Project Competition for Young Researchers No. ZP-2016/7. The authors wish to kindly acknowledge the financial support of HZB, Estonian Research Council (PUT1096, PUT735 and IUT2-25) and Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research Project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustain-able energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014–2020.4.01.15-0011).
Ag sensitized TiO2 and NiFe2O4 three-component nanoheterostructures: synthesis, electronic structure and strongly enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity
This study reports on the synthesis and characterisation of two- and three-component visible light active photocatalytic nanoparticle heterostructures, based on TiO2 and NiFe2O4 and sensitized with Ag. We observe that a Ag content as small as 1 at% in the TiO2/NiFe2O4 heterostructure increases by more than an order of magnitude the rate constant for the visible light photocatalytic process. We rationalise this in terms of the measured structure and electronic structure data of the binary and ternary combinations of the component materials and focus on details, which show that an optimised deposition sequence is vital for attaining high values of photocatalytic efficiency, because the charge…
Colorimetric gas detection by the varying thickness of a thin film of ultrasmall PTSA-coated TiO2 nanoparticles on a Si substrate
Financial support from the Estonian Research Council (IUT2-25, PUT170, PUT1096, PUT748, PUTJD680), the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research Projects “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics” TK141 (2014-2020.4.01.15-0011), “Emerging orders in quantum and nanomaterials” TK134 and the Development Fund of the University of Tartu, are all gratefully acknowledged.
Photocatalytic activity of non-stoichiometric ZnFe2O4under visible light irradiation
Nanostructured zinc ferrites with different excess iron contents (ZnFe2+zO4, where z = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15) have been synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method. The effect of excess iron on the structural, optical and visible light photocatalytic activity of zinc ferrite samples has been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the synthesized non-stoichiometric ZnFe2O4 powders. The XRD patterns demonstrated that the samples con…
Solvothermal synthesis derived Co-Ga codoped ZnO diluted magnetic degenerated semiconductor nanocrystals
Authors kindly acknowledge to the Estonian Research Council ( PUT1096 , IUT2-25 , PUT735 ), the Estonian Centre of Excellence in Research project “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for sustainable energetics, sensorics and nanoelectronics (TK141), and the financial support of HZB. We are grateful to the staff of BESSY II for the assistance and co-operation during the synchrotron-based measurements.
Co doped ZnO nanowires as visible light photocatalysts
Abstract High aspect ratio cobalt doped ZnO nanowires showing strong photocatalytic activity and moderate ferromagnetic behaviour were successfully synthesized using a solvothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and UV–visible absorption spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activities evaluated for visible light driven degradation of an aqueous methylene orange (MO) solution were higher than for Co doped ZnO nanoparticles at the same doping level and synthesized by the same synthesis route. The rate constant for MO visi…
Liquid-assisted grinding/compression: a facile mechanosynthetic route for the production of high-performing Co–N–C electrocatalyst materials
This research was supported by the Estonian Research Council grant PSG250; and by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (TK141, “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems” and TK143, “Molecular Cell Engineering”).